Desk and writing-machine table



(No Model.) 4 sheets-sheet 1."

o. T. BROWN & F. R. WOLPI'NGBR.

DESK AND WRITING MACHINE TABLE.

No. 437,477. A 'Patented sept.` 30,r 1890.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet. 2L

DSK AND WRITING; M GGGGGGGGG E.

N 0 4 s 7 4 7 7 P a t e n t e d s 6 p t s o 1 8 9 o.

4 sheets-sheet 3.

o. T. BRoWN & F. R. WOLPINGBR. DESK AND WRITING MACHINE TABLE.

(No Mode1.

l" Z m i T M- l' "Hmmmllll (Nomo'der.) '4 shets-sheet 4.

C. T. BROWN & P. R. 'WOLPINGBR DESK AND WRITING MACHINE TABLE'.

No. 437,477. Patented sept..v 30. '1890.

, UNITED STATES PAinI-vtrf` OFFICE. Y

CHARLES T. BROWN AND FRANoIs R. WOLFINGEROF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.'

DESK AND WRITING-MAoi-HN TABLE.

' SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 437,477, dated September 30, 1,890.

` Application filed DIeGembeLZl, 1889. Serial No. 334,479. (No model.) l

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES T. BROWN and FRANCIS R. VOLFINGER, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of Chi cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful combined desk and writing-n1achine receptacle and writing-machine table or Writing-Inachine cabinet, adapted to be easily converted from a desk and Writing-1nachine receptacle, wherein the writing-machine is concealed from view and protected from injury-and dust into a writing-machine table and support whereon the writing-nachine mayrest in an advantageous position for operation, of which the following is a specification.

We are aware that combined desks and writing-machine receptacles convertible into writing-machine tables and supports have been heretofore constructed and are now in common use wherein the writing-machine is Q firmly secured to a base-board suitably hinged or pivoted, and such base-board has been attached to a hinged lid forming, when the device is to be used as 'a writing-desk, a part of the top of such desk, and that when the hinged 'part of the desk-top is turned upon its said -tacle convertible into a writing-machine table and support, wherein the writing-1naohine need not be secured to the base-board upon which it rests, requiring merely to be placed thereon in 'like manner as upon an ordinary table. To otain an article of furniture of the character named wherein when it is in the form of a desk, the top of such desk being con- Structed of two or more parts or divisions, in

vthe ordinarywayof constructing the combined desks and Writingmachine receptacles or writing-machine cabinets, hereinbeforereferred to as having been heretofore in use, that part of the top of the desk which is made movable may be drawn from its position and depressed into suitable place for permitting the writingmachine to be placed thereover, but not there trated in Fig. 3.

on,so that it maybe readilyand easily manipulated without fatigue to the Operator and with little noise. j

As is well known to those skilled in thense of writingmachines, it is necessary for convenient operation thereof that the base-board upon which they are set be placed at a considerably less elevation from the iioor than that best adapted for the top of a desk upon which writing or other like vocations are pursued, and in order to secure sufficient depression, as also to retain in the movable part of the top of thc desk an upright position, deemed by us very desirable, we have found it necessary to construct, our device in such manner that the movable part of the top of the desk is adapted to be moved in apeculiar manner, hereinafter more fully described, which constitutes the main feature of ourinvention.

We have illustrated our invention by the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part hereof, in whichl Figure l is a perspective View of the device embodying our invention in position for use as a desk. Fig. 2 is a front elevationin the Same position as in Fig. l.. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device, with the central portion of the top forming the desk thrown forward and lowered, thereby permitting a baseboard, on which may be placed a writing-machine to be drawn forward, so that the writingmachine may be operated. Fig. l is an end elevation of the device in the position illus- Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the device with the several parts thereof in the position illustrated in Figs. l and 2, showin g the mechanism whereby the movable parts are actuated, and also showingby dotted lines the posit-ion of the several movable parts when in the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional elevation viewed in thoopposite direction to that from v" which such parts are seen in Fig. 6.

Like parts are designated bylike letters of reference throughout the several Views.

A is the desk. l I B B B is the top ofthe desk. The central IOO ' edges to the movable part B.

portion B of the top of the desk is movable. The parts B B thereof are rigidly attached to the frame-work of the desk.

B2 isa door or curtain. We prefer to have B2 a curtain, constructed of slats secured together in the ordinary manner of making what is known in the art as a desk-curtain.

C C are pigeon-holes.

D D are drawers of the desk.

E is a pivotal support, attached at its upper edges by hinges lettered e to movable part B of the desk-top. Pivotal support E turns freely on pivots placed at the lower edge thereof and turning in the rigid frame-work of the desk, and lettered e2. E is a pivotal support, secured by hinge e to movable part B and pivoted at e4 to the rigid frame-work of the desk.

By inspection of the drawings it will be seen that B may be drawn forward and downward toward a person in front thereof, and thus lowered into the position illustrated in Figs. 3, 6, and 7, and by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. ln this movement of movable part B pivotal supports E E will rotate freely around pivots e2 e4 at the lower edges thereof, and thereby closing the hinges e e', by which such pivotal supports are secured at their upper In this movement of movable part B of the top of the desk it is maintained in a substantially hori- -zontal position upon its upper surface by the pivotal supports E E.

The writing-machine is placed on a baseboard, which is lettered b in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and this base-board has, ordinarily, rollers which run on atrack secured partially to the rigid frame of the desk and partially to the back side of the pivotal support E, and the movable part B descends between these tracks. That part of the track which is secured to the rigid frame-work of the desk is lettered b', and that part secured to the back of pivotal support E :is lettered b2. The purpose of attaching that part of the tracks lettered b2 to the back of pivotal support E is to obtain a track nearly to the front edge of such pivotal support when the movable part B of the top of the desk is down in position for thev base-board b to run over it, but not in contact with it, with the machine thereon in position for use.

The curtain B2 is constructed to close the upper part of the receptacle wherein the machine is placed when the device is used as a desk, and for convenience of operating our device we have connected such curtain B2 with the pivotal supports E E by the rod D and lever D2, so that it is automatically actuated in the pulling forward and downward or pushing upward and backward of movable portion B of the top of the desk. Curtain B2 is thus alternately raised from or thrown in front of the writing-machine receptacle referred to. The several devices whereby this automatic movement vof the door or curtain B2 is secured consist simply of the rod D attaclied by pivotd to the door or curtain and by pivot d to lever D2, lever D2 being rigidly attached to pivot e4, so that the movement of said lever D2 correspondswith the movement of pivotal support E.

When the device is in use as a desk, the position of the lever D2 and the connecting-rod D is well illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 6, and the position of said lever D2 and connecting-rod D', when the device is in position so that the writing-machine can be used thereon, is plainly indicated by the full lines in said Fig. 6; p

When the movable part B of the top of the desk is in the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 7, if the front edge of such movable part be raised, we have found that in practice there is av tendency in such movable part B to rotate around pivot e4, particularly where the cur-j tain is actuated in the manner described, and in order to insure ease and proper working of pivotal supports E E and movable part B of the top of the desk, we have employed levers E2 E3, which are rigidly secured to pivots e2 e, respectively. These levers E2 and E3 will, it is eviden t, move in unison with movable parts E E. AArms E2 E3 are joined together by connecting-rod E4. We do not consider the levers E2 E3 and connecting-rod E4L absolutelyessential in the construction of our device; but theaddition of these levers E2 E3 and the connecting-rod E4 renders it possible that the several movable parts vof the devicel may bemade with much less accuracy than when such levers and connecting-rod are not employed.

The operation of our device has been suflciently explained in the descriptions of the construction of the movable parts thereof, but may be briefly stated to consist in the drawing forward and downward of the movable part B of the top of the desk and the automatic raising of the curtain B2 into position, whereby the machine contained in the receptacle back of said curtain may be drawn forward, together with the base-board supporting the machine, upon the tracks b overthe movable part B of the desk and into convenient position for use, thereby converting the desk from an ordinary desk of substantially the form illustrated in Fig. 1 into a writing-machine support.

The machine may at any time be sli-d,witl1 the base supporting it, backward i-n-to the receptacle therefor and the movable part Bf of the desk raised upward and backward into the position illustrated in Fig. l, the curtain B2 being at the same time automatically drawndownward in front of the receptacle wherein the machine is contained. p

If a smaller desk than the one illustrated in the drawings herewith attached be desired, one end of the desk and one end of the top thereof may be dispensed with in the ordinary way of shortening desks. The several drawers in the desk forming no material part of our invention, any one or more of them IIO may be dispensed with and legs substituted in their place, at the will of the maker of the device.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim,and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. In a combined desk and writing machine receptacle and writing machine table, the combination of the movable part of the top of the desk, pivotal supports hinged to such movable part and pivoted to the rigid framework of the desk, tracks between which such movable part of the top of the desk descends when broughtforward and downward with the top surface thereof substantially hori zontal, and a base-board on which a writingmachine may be placed, resting upon and adapted toslideon such tracks and over the movable part of the desk, but'not in contact therewith, all substantially as described.

2. In a combined desk and writing-machine receptacle and writingmachine table, the combination of the movable part of the top Aof the`desk, pivotal supports hinged to such may be placed, resting upon and adapted to slide on such tracks over the movable part of the top of the desk, but not in contact therewith, all substantially as described.

` 3. In a combined desk and writing-machine receptacle and writing-machine table, the combination of the movable part of the top of the desk, pivotal supports hinged to such movable part and pivoted to the rigid framework of the desk, tracks, each of such tracks formed of two rails, one secured to the rigidv frame-work of the desk and the other to the rear side of the front pivotal support, a lever rigidly secured to each pivot of the back pivotal support, and a connecting-rod pivoted to the free end of each of such levers and eX- tending therefrom to a pivotal point on the rear side of the front pivotal support, whereby when the movable part of the top of the desk is brought forward and downward between the tracks formed by the rails such connecting-rod will rest upon such track and the further movementof the several movable parts be thereby determined, substantially as described.

4. In a combined desk and writing-machine receptacle and writing-machine table, the

combination of the movable part of the top to such movable partV and pivoted lto the rigid frame-work of the desk, tracks, each of such tracks formed of two rails, one secured to the rigid frame-work of the desk and the other to the rear sideof the front pivotal support, ay movable platform on which the writing-machine is placed adapted to slide on thetracks, a lever yrigidly secured-to each pivot of the back pivotal support, a curtain adapted to be slid from in front of the writf ing-machine receptacle, and connecting-links extending from the pivoted levers to the sliding curtain, whereby when the movable part of the top of the desk is brought forward and downward between the track formed bythe' rails the curtain is slid away from before the writing-machine receptacle, sothat the mov- -able platform may be drawn forward over the l movable part of the top of the desk, but not of the desk, pivotal supports therefor hinged l in contact therewith, substantially as` described. v

5. In a combined desk and writing-machine receptacle and writing-machine table, the combination of the movable part of the top of the desk, pivotal supports therefor hinged to such movable part and pivoted to the rigid frame-work of thedesk, tracks, eachof such tracks formed of two rails, one secured to the rigid frame-work of the desk andthe other to the rear side of the front pivotal support, a lever rigidly secured to each .pivot of lthe back pivotal support, a connecting-rod pivoted to the free end of each of such levers and extending therefrom to a pivotal point on the rear side of the front pivotal support, a movable platform on which the writing-ma` chine is placed adapted to slide on the tracks, a second lever, also rigidly secured to each pivot of the back pivotal support, a curtain adapted to be slid from in front of the writing-machine receptacle, and connecting-links extending from the last-named pivoted levers to the sliding curtain, whereby when the movable part of the top of the desk is brought forward and downward between the track formed by the rails and into the position determined by the connecting-rod resting on p such track the curtain is slid away from before the writing-machine receptacle, so vthat the movable platform may be drawn forward over the movable part of the top of the desk, but not inA contact therewith, substantially as described.

CHARLES T. BROWN, FRANCIS R. WOLFINGER. 

